Friday, January 11, 2008

Hi everybody! How are you all doing? No, I haven't disappeared off the face of the earth. As my vacation winds down, I'm trying to take advantage of every moment of relaxation possible - which means that other than the occasional scrabble game on Facebook, I've been on a bit of an internet hiatus. To add to that, the internet access here at my mom's house is a bit spotty, so I still haven't uploaded all my Los Angeles photos. All that adds up to a huge pile of photos and blog-posts and guilt for neglecting it all! So I'm back today, with a huge post. Brew a cup of tea or coffee, sit back, relax, and let me tell you all about one of the bloggy meet-ups Daiku and I got to enjoy during our time in California!

While we waited to be seated, we marveled at these shelves and shelves of nothing but vegan frozen desserts. It's like the promised land- all kinds of ice creams, sorbets, frozen yogurts, and other creations- totally irresistable. In one small corner were huddled a few pints of Akbar Mashdi Iranian-style dairy ice cream, and I loved the reversal- this is one of the few places on the planet where the dairy was in the sad neglected minority while the vegan stuff comprised the overwhelming majority. Awesome.

Finally we were seated- I got to sit close next to Desmond, cute vegan baby extraordinaire, and photograph his antics! It was really difficult to decide what to order, but we finally made the tough choices that had to be made... I photographed everything but now I can't remember what it all was! Hopefully some of you who were there can remind me in the comments!

I went with the eggs benedict special, since I'd never had it in veganized form. I just had to photograph the kitschy black olives. It was a cool dish, and definitely filling, but a little underwhelming as far as flavor went- and it was a bit of a tofu overload! Tofu eggs, tofu hollandaise sauce, and a tofu scramble and soy chorizo on the side- whew! Fortunately, I love tofu just that much.

No words are needed to convey the deliciousness of the colorful food, happily.

Here's the whole group, kindly photographed by a FYH employee. I don't think most of us came close to finishing our plates! Afterward, we all walked around the market checking out all the vegan goods that most of us had never seen before.

(I had to buy one, since I'd heard such rave reviews. Here's my Cream Tang flavor bottle- but I didn't open it, since I wanted to be able to take it along with my luggage on the flight back home- and I don't think I'll open it until I get back to Syracuse- anticipation!)

Vegyogini and Daiku oohing and aahing over vegan chicken!

Outside Follow Your Heart was this wonderfully smart and friendly border collie, Buddy, who was helping his owner collect signatures for an animal-rights proposition to be placed on the California ballot. Since I'm still a registered CA voter, I got to sign the petition- sweet!

Here's a parting group shot. It was so nice meeting everybody! (And thank you guys for putting up with my photo-obsessed ways). It's so cool to think about the ways in which blogging has changed my life, putting me in touch with brilliant people that I get to meet at home or whenever I'm lucky enough to travel. In fact, tomorrow, Daiku and I are looking forward to a Washington D.C./Virginia PPK meet-up. I'll be sure to report on that... eventually. Just kidding- I'm getting back into the blogging routine, I promise! Have a great weekend, everyone.

Your new haircut looks great! Here's the run-down on the dishes we enjoyed from top to bottom, starting under your Tofu Benedict: Wok Stir Fry, Tandoori and Curry, Zorro Burrito, The Reuben, Lorenzo's Tofu Eggwich, The Follow Your Heart Burger, The Om Lette. The FYH website has descriptions of everything. :) It was so fun meeting you!

Soooo jealous! What a fun group of people! I totally forgot Follow Your Heart has a store / cafe. Maybe I'll have to check it out, possibly for the PLAY FOOD! damn, I want some.

I'm working on the same CA ballot initiative you signed & funny enough, I just received an email about people in LA bringing their dogs along with signs! I actually had the petition in the car in LA when we met up, but forgot to bring it inside! doh.

Where shall we meet next?! I'm in Germany & London in March- aren't you in Paris? hehe.

It was so nice to meet you and Daiku. Despite conversation being dictated/ fragmented by keeping a one year old entertained, I had enough time to determine that I really liked everybody at that table. And I'm choosy. Thanks for documenting it so nicely!

Isn't it great to meet fellow bloggers in person? Looks like you all had a great day, filled with delicious food! Wow! Those plates look scrumptious. I would love to go to Follow Your Heart to check out the store. Ice Cream galore. I also like your new haircut! BTW - I'm on Facebook and play Scrabble over there. Look me up - Carrie Bagnell Horsburgh.

You have met more bloggers than anyone! Looks like a great time--with such wonderful folks. Love the haircut, too. Isn't it weird, the first time you wash your hair afterwards? (I got mine cut fairly short a few months back. I like it, but I hate straightening it!)

I have always dreamed of meeting up with fellow vegan bloggers! I'm in the VA/DC area, too, so feel free to look me up! Meanwhile, we have a great veggie group here :) Love the description of the frozen food sections - reminds me of trips to vegan restaurants when you can order anything you want! And, I love the tofu plate - love tofu, too! Last but not least, love the hair - seriously - I'm printing out pages of short hairstyles for my own upcoming 'chop!'

Your CA posts have made me very homesick but I'm glad to hear you had a great time and were well fed.

What a coincidence...I just chopped off all of my hair as well. It's about chin length. I was sort of scared to do it. Afraid I might regret it. But I'm glad I did. I love it. Love yours as well. It's very becoming.

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A Note About My Food:

All the food on this blog, unless explicitly noted, is vegan. That means that no animal products (flesh, milk, eggs, or gelatin) have been used. So go ahead and enjoy the food porn-ice cream! omlettes! baked goods galore!- guilt-free.